Beverly Homecoming: Get silly with cardboard boats

For those who may not be aware, the lobster boats aren’t the only vessels that will be racing during Beverly Homecoming.

For the 10th straight year, folks will take their homemade cardboard boats and hit the water off Lynch Park. The only objective: to stay afloat for as long as possible.

We caught up with Tony Toledo, organizer and inaugural winner of the cardboard boat race, to learn a little bit more about the event’s history.

Wicked Local: Where did the idea for the cardboard boat races come from?

Tony Toledo: I had seen it online. And they had people that did very exquisite boats with decorations and smokestacks and palm trees. And, while that may have been a little bit overly ambitious, I talked to people here in town, different friends … With Homecoming, I said, I would love to have a cardboard boat race. And people said, ‘great, go for it.’

WL: What does a cardboard boat race entail?

TT: You actually have a person in a cardboard boat. And, like so much stuff I do, all the rules are made up on the fly. So that first year, I was the victor of the cardboard boat race because I was the only one. And I just had these bicycle boxes that I cobbled together. I remained afloat for a smashing 18 seconds, and then lifted myself to victory. The only rule that we have is that, if you bring a cardboard boat and it gets all smooshed in the water, you have to take it home with you. You can’t leave a soggy mess to wash up on the beach. You gotta get rid of it.

WL: Are there awards involved?

TT: When we started to get more people, we made divisions, so it was 12 and under, then 13-17 and then 18 and up. And the prizes were silver dollars that I get at the bank or gold dollars that I get at the bank … The people come just because it's this goofy thing, that you think that you’re going to have a boat made out of cardboard.

WL: What’s one of your most memorable cardboard boat race moments?

TT: One year, I had a friend visiting from college and we had some fun. My boat that year was this very long cardboard boat and it had this sign on the back that had some strange word … it was whatever Czechoslovakian for cheater is. Because I had taken a windsurfing board and entirely covered it with cardboard so it would never sink. But you can’t do that. So I win, but then I have to say, ‘Oh, I’m a cheater.’ but, it’s all for fun and it makes people laugh.

WL: What’s been the best part for you as the organizer for this event?

TT: The laughter. Everybody is having so much fun. It’s just a joy seeing people laugh at something so silly. There’s always a tiny crowd of people, 20-30 people that are at Homecoming that want to come see it. … To me, the idea of the cardboard boat race is just something silly. It’s community-oriented. It’s people getting together and laughing.

WL: How many people typically participate each year?

TT: Maybe a dozen. It varies.

WL: The cardboard boat races have been taking place for 10 years now. How have you been able to grow the event?

TT: Word of mouth. And people know that it’s happening after they’ve seen it. … I would implore [community members] to give ideas on how we could even make it better. It could be fancy, decorated things. And then we could go ahead and have crowd-sourcing to have people say which one they like better by applause.

WL: Is there anything that’s changed since the very first race?

TT: When we first started it, we told people they had to have paddles made out of cardboard. And we very quickly realized that those will fall apart in an eighth of a second and then nobody’s going to finish the damn race because you’re just going in circles. We immediately said, bring your kayak paddle, bring your canoe paddle … something that will get you somewhere.

WL: What is your advice for people who might want to give the event a try, but are still on the fence?

TT: Just do it. Go ahead and have fun. Go to Brown’s Bike, go to Centraal Cycle. Bicycles come in great, durable boxes.

WL: What are your hopes for the future of the cardboard boat races?

TT: I would love to see 20 entries every year, and people just having fun. Maybe they need to have other divisions. It’s also something that little kids, and adults and grandparents and everybody can have fun with. To do something in a community, it always takes someone to have an initial idea. So, I’d seen this and thought it could be fun. You never know if people are going to like it or not. … I would encourage other people to come up with other ideas for Homecoming.

This year’s race will take place, rain or shine, on Sunday, Aug. 6, at 3 p.m. at Lynch Park, 55 Ober St., Beverly. Everyone is invited to try their hand at building a cardboard boat and testing its seaworthiness, or to just come watch as others attempt to keep their vessels afloat for as long as they can.